Lian's eyes stayed on the three women, ignoring his own discomfort. The man with them, Jian, looked ordinary—sharp features, wiry build, a voice that grated. Another man was much the same: nothing remarkable, nothing to catch the eye. But the women… they were a feast he hadn't expected to stumble upon.
The first, the one who had spoken, stood with an air of command. Her dark hair was pulled into a severe knot, but strands had escaped, clinging to her neck. Her cultivator's robes, cinched at the waist, did nothing to hide the heavy, lush curve of her tits. The fabric strained over the swell of them, outlining two perfect, full mounds that moved with a slight, tantalizing sway as she adjusted her pack. Her face was all sharp angles and intelligence, but Lian's gaze kept dropping, imagining the weight of those tits in his hands, the soft give of them.
The second woman was kneeling, checking a leather satchel. She was softer, with round cheeks and a mouth that looked made for smiling. Her robes were looser, but as she leaned forward, the neckline gaped, offering a shadowy glimpse of deep cleavage. Her tits were enormous, a truly impressive shelf that pushed against the fabric, creating a valley so deep and dark Lian felt a pulse of raw hunger in his cock. They looked soft, pillowy, the kind a man could lose himself between.
But it was the third woman who stole the air from his lungs. She'd removed her outer robe, tying it around her waist, leaving her in a thin, sweat-dampened undershirt of pale linen. It was nearly transparent, plastered to her skin. Her tits were a marvel—high, full, and perfectly shaped, each one crowned with a hard, dark nipple that pressed against the wet cloth like twin pebbles. She stretched, arms over her head, and the muscles of her stomach tightened. The undershirt rode up, revealing the smooth skin of her toned belly, the faint curve of her hip. Her breasts lifted with the motion, a breathtaking jiggle that made Lian's mouth go dry. She had a wildness to her, hair a tangled mess of brown waves, eyes that seemed to see too much.
...
…
Jian, the one with the perpetual frown, held up a hand. "Enough. We camp here for the night. This clearing is defensible. Mei Ling, set the perimeter wards. Luo, get a fire going."
As he spoke, Jian's gaze slid toward the third woman, Mei Ling, lingering for a heartbeat too long on the way her dark cultivator's robes hugged the dip of her waist and the swell of her hips. The other young man, Luo, glanced too, his eyes tracing the elegant line of her neck before he quickly looked away, focusing on gathering dry kindling. The two other girls—one soft and curvy, the other with a gentle face and wide eyes—were clearly paired with Jian and Luo, their hands brushing their partners' arms with casual intimacy. They seemed used to Mei Ling's commanding presence and the subtle, unspoken attention it drew.
Lian waited, his heart a dull thud against his ribs. He took a breath, then stumbled forward into the clearing, letting his body sag with exaggerated weakness. "H-help…" he rasped, his voice raw.
Five heads snapped toward him. They drew their swords from the sheaths, their qi ready for attacking. Jian stepped forward, his frown deepening. "Who are you?"
"Lost…" Lian coughed, leaning heavily against a tree. He let his gaze flicker over the group, settling on the women with a mask of pained vulnerability. "Beast… chased me… I'm injured."
The second woman, the one with the impressively full chest and round cheeks, took a step forward, her expression softening. "He's bleeding, Jian. Look at his side."
Jian's eyes narrowed. "He could be a bandit. Or a lure."
"He's barely standing," the soft-faced girl, Xia, said quietly. "We can't just leave him out here."
Mei Ling watched Lian with cool, assessing eyes. After a moment, she gave a curt nod. "The formations are set. If someone hostile were present, we would have noticed. He can enter. If he was a threat, we would have known. Let him rest by the fire. We'll decide at dawn."
Jian scoffed but didn't object. Luo simply shrugged.
They gave Lian a thin blanket and a strip of dried meat. He ate slowly, his eyes scanning the small camp as the group's chatter carried across the firelight. The formation was preventing and concealing the light from the beast and the forest.
Listening quietly, he began to piece together their backgrounds.
Jian was the nominal leader—arrogant and impatient, always seeing himself as superior. Chen, curvy and confident, was his partner; they had been together for a few months. Luo was silent but equally arrogant, giving off a sense of superiority even without speaking. He rarely joined in the conversation. Xia, soft-spoken and gentle, was Luo's girlfriend—but their relationship was new, still awkward, and they didn't seem to get along.
And Mei Ling… she was a wild card, an inner sect senior brought in for her knowledge of the inner forest.
After a long silence, he finally broke it.
"So… which sect are you all from?" he asked.
There was not much noise for a while. Jian and Lupo both seemed too disdainful to even speak to him, a bottom cultivator. He was not worthy of speaking with them.
"Crimson Dragon Sect. You've probably heard of it, I'd guess?" replied Mei Ling.
Lian nodded, hiding his tension. "Yeah… I have heard. It's one of the mid-level sects in the Baiyun region, right?"
Though Lian didn't know much, he had heard of the Crimson Dragon Sect. He also knew that it was slightly better than his White Spirit Sect in this region, but he didn't know how much stronger. He assumed it was mid-level.
Jian snorted, displeased with Liam's answer. Who among this region didn't know about the Crimson Dragon Sect? If he knew, then was he trying to humiliate the sect by calling it merely mid-level?
Xai was not offended, as this was normal thinking for most people. She said, "It can't be considered clearly mid-level. While not in the upper level, it is higher than mid. And which sect are you from?"
"Oh." Lian didn't know that. He couldn't be blamed, though—he was an outer sect disciple of the White Spirit Sect, so he didn't have much information. He had also assumed that since it was slightly more powerful than his sect, it might still be mid-tier.
Lian then replied hesitantly, "I… am from the White Spirit Sect."
"Hah." Luo's disdain and arrogance became more visible. The White Spirit Sect was much weaker in this region. It couldn't even participate in many of the region's decisions or any major events.
Lian cast his gaze down, chewing the tough meat, and tried to change the subject. He didn't want to anger them by bringing up sect disputes. He still needed them to get out of this forest. "So… why are you this deep in the forest? Looking for resources?"
Chen leaned forward, resting an elbow on her knee. "Exactly. In the outer region, there aren't many rare herbs or resources available, so we had to enter the inner area. Right now, our exploration is going quite well, but if we want to exchange for more contribution points and increase our cultivation, we still need more." At the end, she sighed.
Lian asked, "Doesn't the sect provide resources for cultivation?" He asked this because he get resources from the sect; he was given a basic monthly allowance: one low-tier spirit qi pill and five low-tier spirit stones, which were enough for his cultivation. And he didn't feel the need to go on any explorations to search for additional resources.
Jian, scoffed, "What a bumpkin."
Xia paused for a moment. "The resources given by the sect are not enough for our cultivation, so we still have to explore. And the contribution points can be used for various activities in the sect. Moreover, right now is the time for the sect tournament, so to enter the tournament, a high contribution point amount is required as a fee."
Lian became deflated. He was likely the only one who could be content with the low-level resources that the sect provided, but hearing the last part from Xia, he immediately perked up. A tournament seemed kind of exciting. Even after six months in this world, he hadn't seen any intense fights. "Sect tournament? You're all going to participate in that?" And how come his sect didn't have a tournament?
Chen replied, "Of course we have to. Even if we don't get rare herbs or cultivation rewards, we still need enough contribution to join the tournament. It can't be missed."
"'Ow," he asked, "is the reward of the tournament really that amazing?"
Xia shook her head and said casually, "No, but if we can go further in the tournament, we can explore the Spirit Lamp Domain."
This was completely new to Lian; he didn't have the slightest clue what it was. "What is that?"
Luo, murmuring enough for Jian to hear, added, "Are the cultivators of White Spirit all so… country bumpkins?"
Jian smirked. "Hah, you can't blame them. They didn't have much say in the matter. They can only be left behind by higher sects and picked up later."